likeabxrdinflight · 2 years ago
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I have a friend who's still highly cautious around covid because she's high risk but she keeps posting all these screenshots of tweets about covid studies on her instagram in an attempt to convince people that covid is still very dangerous
and it's not that covid isn't still potentially dangerous, but one quick google search has allowed me to find every study that she has referenced, and without fail, every single one of them has been working with pre-vaccine, pre-omicron data. the most recent one she's posting about is about cardiac conditions post covid, and wouldn't you know, the entire sample was taken from people who caught covid between march 2020 and january 2021.
this was pre-vaccine, pre-omicron, hell, it was pre-delta variant (remember that one). this was the wild type covid, which our bodies were least immune to. it was the type that was most known to be causing cardiac symptoms and blood clots. besides delta, it was the most deadly. and no one was vaccinated.
so yes, in that group of people, who were unfortunate enough to catch covid during that period, the results of this study are likely very valid- they are at increased risk of heart disease. and that should be talked about and studied more and if those people end up with cardiac symptoms they need to be receiving proper care.
but we should not be assuming, without further study, that these risks are still the same for those who've been vaccinated, or who only caught covid after the omicron variant became dominant (the omicron lineages have been pretty different from the wild type and other pre-omicron variants, so it's worth noting that). like this is a study that must be replicated with a post-vaccine, post-omicron sample before you will even remotely convince me that those cardiac risks are the same as they were before.
and it is driving me crazy that my friend, who is also fucking trained in how to read science, is posting this shit seemingly without looking at the actual papers or thinking about the context at all. like it is driving me absolutely bananas. these posts aren't even like, direct quotes from the papers, they're screenshots of randos on twitter talking about these papers, as if twitter rando knows jack shit about what they're talking about. like it's all well and good to still care about covid but could you at least do it with less of the fear mongering?
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rayshippouuchiha · 2 years ago
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TBH the lack of Real Respect Tsuna and Skull both get makes me wanna see ‘em just… Vanish. They aren’t hurt, or in trouble, but they both end up tired as hell and want like. One (1) year to themselves, without being called shit like useless or lackey or weak. So they fuck off and onto some whimsical journey across the world, probably running into the fair folk or some shit (because Tsuna’s Super Anxiety would make him a damn hard target for them, and I feel like they’d just Vibe with Skull. Immortal and all that).
Meanwhile, everyone back in Namimori is losing. their. shit. Trying to find their two dumbasses, flipping every damn stone over because they’ve Clearly been kidnapped. No One notices the note Tsuna and Skull left, because Skull still isn’t the best at writing and Tsuna’s Super Anxiety kicked in and said that if he wrote it he’d never get his goddamn vacation.
To clarify, this is meant to be (mostly) humorous, but I’m curious to see where you’d go with an idea like this. I just want Skull and Tsuna to travel the world together TBH. Feel like they’d make good brothers.
Oh oh yes. Obviously there'll be humor but, well, it's me and we all know how these things eat my brain and I have to give them some bite so:
Skull isn't really one of Arcobaleno that Tsuna generally spends much time with.
When it comes to the Strongest, the ones Tsuna's found himself spending the most time with has always been Reborn and, surprisingly enough, Fon.
Reborn is around more often than not, content to keep torturing Tsuna even if his official title has shifted from Demon Tutor to Demon Tutor/Advisor.
And Fon's tendency to stop by frequently can be chalked up to I-pin and the fact that, for some reason, the Storm seems to be under the impression that hanging around Tsuna will, somehow, help him grow closer to Hibari.
Which is something that doesn't really make much sense to Tsuna. Even after years of being dragged into and out of various ridiculous shenanigans together, and despite recent Hibari's tendency to commandeer Tsuna's bed or floor or balcony at random times to nap, Tsuna's still not convinced that Hibari actually remembers he exists whenever they're not in the same room together.
And sometimes not even then.
A part of Tsuna also suspects that the "Small Animal" title he carries now might just be Hibari's way of getting around the fact that he doesn't remember Tsuna's actual name anymore.
It is, much like most everything else involving Hibari and Tsuna's thoughts about him, confusing and difficult for Tsuna to make up his mind about.
So, besides Reborn's continued sadism and Fon regularly attempting to use Tsuna as some kind of emotional Switzerland and/or human sacrifice to Hibari, Tsuna tends to see the other Arcobaleno on a bit of a floating schedule.
Viper, as Reborn has taken to insisting everyone outside of the Varia call the Mist, tends to blip in and out every once in a while. Often bringing news from Xanxus and leaving with anything strawberry flavored in Tsuna's house and whatever money he might have in his wallet at the moment.
Lal Mirch and Colonello tend to arrive and depart together, attached at the hip now no matter how much they bicker.
Verde's version of checking in seems to come in the form of sending whatever new robot or nightmare construct he's thought of to attack Tsuna and "gather data".
But Skull?
Tsuna rarely sees Skull.
The Cloud floats in and out of town only rarely and never stays longer than absolutely necessary. Often times he's gone within the hour.
Which is, in Tsuna's opinion, actually kind of a shame.
Because the thing is, Tsuna actually likes Skull.
Oh, he hadn't a few years ago when they'd first come across each other.
No back then Tsuna had hated each new and increasingly ridiculous trap/trick/shenanigan and situation Reborn had managed to push him into.
Skull had just been another irritation on a rapidly increasing list of things Tsuna hadn't wanted to deal with.
But ,,,
Well, it hadn't taken Tsuna long to realize that Skull and he were much more alike than he'd ever thought possible back at the beginning.
And now, with a few years of Reborn and this mafia headache under his belt?
Now Skull's someone that Tsuna wouldn't actually mind seeing more of.
Even though he knows it's not likely to happen.
Mainly because Tsuna's not actually a complete idiot no matter what some people still seem to think.
Tsuna's seen enough interactions between Reborn and Skull to have a pretty good idea about where some of the chips in that relationship fall.
Plus Hyper Intuition is helpful for more than just life-or-death battles these days even if Tsuna's not made that fact as openly obvious as he might once have.
It's yet another area in which Tsuna's found he can sympathize with Skull.
Because Tsuna also has a hyper-violent sadist he half wishes he could care less about sometimes.
Which is why Tsuna's so surprised to see a familiar pair of leather-clad legs dangling over the edge of the roof when he steps out onto his balcony, desperate to escape the screaming and general chaos that has once again taken over his house.
Tsuna goes to call out only for that familiar flare of warning heat to snap his mouth closed.
Instead Tsuna does something that he wouldn't have been able to a few short years ago.
He reaches up, grabs the edge of his roof in one hand, and pulls himself up onto the tiles above him.
When he's kneeling on the roof a few seconds later Tsuna finds himself glad that he didn't make too much noise, glad that he didn't draw any attention to Skull.
Because Skull's currently laid out on Tsuna's roof, legs dangling over the side but arms pillowed behind his head, helmet settled at his hip and eyes trained on the night sky and face almost eerily blank.
It is, Tsuna can't help but think, the quietest he's ever seen Skull.
It's honestly a little unsettling.
But, worst of all somehow in Tsuna's opinion, is the fact that Skull looks ,,, tired.
He doesn't even bother to greet Tsuna beyond flicking those vibrant violet eyes in his direction before going back to his star gazing.
To Tsuna, Skull has never looked more like everything he was taught a Cloud is supposed to be than in this moment.
Cold.
Illusive.
Bound to drift away.
The thought sends a shiver of premonition down Tsuna's spine.
Tsuna finds himself laying down on the roof beside him, legs dangling over the edge and arms folded behind his head.
Their elbows are just barely brushing.
And all the while a flickering whisper in the back of Tsuna's mind sings.
"I'm tired," Tsuna finds himself saying some silent drawn-out minutes later.
A beat of silence.
"Yeah," Skull sighs, voice lower and smoother than Tsuna has ever heard it before, "me too."
"I," Tsuna pauses, swallows, feels his Intuition surge and sharpen, "I love my friends and I know they care too but sometimes I just ,,,"
Tsuna trails off because he knows that Skull understands without him ever having to finish.
"Wish you could go to sleep and wake up on the opposite end of the world so that maybe you could get some rest and peace before they inevitably find you again?" Skull offers.
"Yes," The answer practically bursts out of Tsuna.
Another beat of silence.
"I've got an airship," Skull announces.
Tsuna hears it for the offer it is.
"They'd find us," Tsuna points out softly, twisting just a bit so he's looking Skull in the face. "They'd hunt us down and drag us both back."
The smirk Skull sends him in return is far darker and slyer than any expression Tsuna's ever seen on his face before.
"Oh, malysh nebo," Skull practically purrs, "they could certainly try."
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underthehedge · 6 months ago
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CTVT and a weird niche theory I fell down the rabbit hole about - giant transforming retroviruses???
This is a story about how a single line on a wikipedia page sent me down a rabbit hole of finding one scientist's fringe theory that's juuuust plausible enough to make me question everything while almost certainly being absolute fucking bunk.
Some background
So, on parts of tumblr at least we all know about Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour, aka The Immortal Cancer Dog. For those who don't know, it's a cancer dogs get, usually on their junk, that unlike most other cancers, isn't made up of their own cells. The cells are actually all descended from this one dog or wolf that lived like 11,000 years ago and are, arguably, all technically that one dog. A dog that became a single-celled infectious disease.
We have a wealth of genetic, histological and observational evidence for this. As in, we know it what population of canids it came from, we know it's got a weird chromosomal structure compared to normal dogs, we know it's genetically distinct from the hosts. We also know it's not the only one out there: There's a similar thing in Syrian hamsters and also the famous Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).
Which made me pause when I was reading something on wikipedia about the devil facial tumour and saw a line mentioning that it was now known to be caused by a giant virus, much like CTVT. Which...huh? Oh I hadn't heard that afore.
Giant viruses
Ok so giant viruses are a thing and they're fuckin cool. They're a relatively recent discovery and comparatively huge, i.e. bigger than a bunch of bacteria. They were only discovered in 1981 and we still don't know an enormous amount about them but they're big and have large genomes and because of the way viruses are they're not easy to detect unless you're specifically looking for them.
They show up under microscopy (sometimes) and you can find them with genetic probes but you gotta already be looking for them to see that really. Current research though basically says they're more common than we think, just overlooked, and there's software out there that scans through genomic data to find sequences that might indicate their presence. There's even a possibility that one group might be involved in some cases of pneumonia in humans, though I need to stress that that's extremely not confirmed right now.
The "wait, what?" moment
So I mentioned that it was a line in the wiki article for DFTD that had me going "wait, really?", the line in question was this:
A study found evidence for an infectious agent resembling a giant virus that was capable of turning heathy cells into cancer cells. It was found to be a huge retrovirus with similar viruses being found in human and canine cancer cells.
Big If True.
So of course I check the source, which was a 2020 paper by Lusi et al. titled "A transforming giant virus discovered in Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour: Stray dogs and Tasmanian devils opening the door to a preventive cancer vaccine".
Hang on, CTVT not DFTD? This is where some alarm bells went off because uh, as mentioned at the start, we know a shit ton about CTVT. Including the fact that it's all one specific dog. Which doesn't fit at all with the idea that it's caused by a virus transforming host cells into cancer cells.
So what fucking gives? What is this research that fully overturns decades of pretty conclusive research to the contrary?
Is this another case of Dr Barbara McClintock? Who spent decades being ridiculed by the scientific community over her wild theory that was, in fact, 100% right even if it seemed to fly in the fact of all prior evidence?
Or is this a Dr Donald I. Williamson situation wherein a scientist with appropriate training is just wildly but extremely vehemently wrong?
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nathank77 · 6 months ago
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4/22/24
2:37 a.m edited..
So after a thorough investigation of fb, you can't hide your tags if the post is public if it's someone else's post. All you can do is untag yourself.
You only have full control over your posts. I mean you have control over your tags but I know you're not removing and re-adding your tags. I tested it with my multiple fb accounts bc I had to know. I'm actually a, "victim," of the metaverse/keyword data tracking. I went on my computer and searched first name last name family reunion, bam its there. First name last name ex husband's name bam.
So If I haven't terrified you and made you think I'm a complete psychotic mess, I mean you probably were waiting for me to make this discovery. Although I'm going to be real.
You're scared of me, you think I'm a crazy stalker, that I'm insane and you prob only come to my tumblr to make sure you and your family are safe.
I probably scared the shit out of you posting about your divorce, I could only imagine. I didn't type in info to find the photos, Elise. All i typed was your first and last name and fb constantly changed what was tagged under your name... and I thought you were communicating with me bc when I searched things up about tagging and fb I couldn't find direct answers.
Anyways If you aren't scared of me, I'm sorry I lost myself. I guess I'll check your actual fb occasionally like once a month or something. Cause that never changes and generally that's all you have control over. Unless you want to untag and re-tag yourself which isn't realistic.
I feel like a fucking idiot.
Wake up by silverstein really fits right now. I can only imagine what you see when you look at me.
As of this moment i have this:
1) your pose change
2) the fact you haven't blocked me or rejected it- which could be a way to protect yourself from me...
3) it going from everyone to friends the day before i went to the brass mill mall.
4) it going from friends to everyone the day before i went to the west farms mall.
5) your bio and profile picture changing the day after I posted about your divorce from your ex husband and how it appears he left your daughters without a father. And I posted shape shift the day before.
99% of this could be circumstantial. I mean the pose the day you blocked me is a little hard to believe unless you're protecting yourself... I don't think it was circumstantial...
The friends to everyone and back I mean it could be a way to say I'm reading...
Either way my intentions were good and fb really played with me. You never did.
I hope you don't see a psychotic crazy guy you need to protect yourself from. I'm not coming for you. I wish you'd come for me though.
I don't expect anything from you. I never expect to see or hear from you again. I can only imagine how I look. Over here like this post changed. Omg you posted this. Christ I want to jump off a bridge.
The worse part is only bc I have psychosis am I beating myself up over it- I would have assumed you could control individually what shows up when someone searches you...
Yet that doesn't matter. I'm sorry I can only imagine what you see when you look at me.
I'm sure you think I'm a psychotic stalker. I'm sure you don't see me as the boy across the Webcam anymore. I'm sure at this point our eye contacts only means one thing to you- I don't see Nathan behind those eyes anymore.
I'm sorry you met me. I'm not sorry I met you. You're still a poem earth wrote to keep me alive. Although I'm sure I'll never hear from you.
"I saw the light, I went to hell
But the devil never looked my way"
"Flatlines now I've lost my tomorrow
I've paid the debt of the time I've been borrowing
Nothing can save me
There's nothing in the mirror
Now all I am is a dead reflection"
I'll assume you are protecting yourself and you think I'm insane.
All I am is a dead reflection- I went to hell (psychosis) but the devil didn't look my way- bc I only ever meant to love you even if loving you meant never knowing you.
I truly hope you're happy and I hope I didn't terrify you. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy.
Goodbye Elise.
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lokaneiscanon · 5 years ago
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Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder rant
Seeing Natalie Portman returning to reprise her role as Jane Foster, nevertheless wielding Mjolnir, finally getting the treatment this character deserves, was surreal to say the least. I had just started reading Lords of Midgard, the 8th issue of Mighty Thor (2015 - 2018), and had fallen in love already. But I didn't suspect at all that Taika Waititi would pull this card in Thor: Love and Thunder, considering Jane was barely mentioned in Ragnarok. The news about my favorite actress portraying one of my favorite characters coming out of the blue - you can imagine the excitement. Alas, I quickly remembered what the fandom thought of that comic (at least on tumblr) and imagined it now growing tenfold, cuz not everyone in the MCU fandom reads comics but pretty much everyone wants to watch another Thor movie. And yes, many fans weren't ready for this step, still recovering from Sam Wilson getting the shield in Endgame. Which is completely fine. We're not obligated to like everything Marvel throws in our faces, we're allowed to criticize and express our opinion on the internet or wherever. What is not okay is mindlessly hating, and even worse - using false facts to support said opinion.
I have seen some people using the argument that it is one of Marvel's worst selling comics. Which has already been proven wrong by multiple sites, including Comichron, just Google it, as I did myself. I read multiple posts, ones saying how good Jane is doing as Thor in sales, others disproving this, so I checked for myself the numbers at the site mentioned above month by month to be sure. The comic truly had its downfalls as the story progressed but in my opinion it's normal for the 1st issue to have more sales than the 21st. If we compare it to Unworthy Thor, which started running a bit later and followed the now unworthy Odinson, the data shows the latter had more sales. But then again, while Might Thor was at its 17th issue, Unworthy Thor was at its 2nd. Also, they later crossed paths, shared comic issues, it's fair to say they go hand in hand and Jason Aaron, the author, probably doesn't want us to compare them, as they complete and compliment each other's stories. Still I decided to check the comic that made Thor unworthy in the first place - Thor: God of Thunder (2012 - 2014), which seemed to me more "comparable" to Might Thor (2015 - 2018). *I keep putting the years it was being released so as to not be confused with previous Mighty Thor issues, whole Odinson was still Thor, please bear with me* So yes, the numbers were pretty close, but from what I saw, Mighty Thor had the upper hand if we compare first issue to first issue and so on. (In defense of Odinson, we have to take into account that this data is only from the US and does not include digital sales. Also, he's been around since the 50s. We could argue Jane was a breath of fresh air that some Marvel fans were indeed ready for. As a non-American, and also a person without a hint of knowledge in economics I cannot take into account inflation and whatever else has prevented or enabled Americans to get their hands on the comics or has affected prizes through the years. Bear that in mind.) Moreover, from what I saw on Comichron, both comics had much competition - God of thunder was released along with Avengers vs the X-men, the Uncanny X-men, pretty popular at the time, and the Goddess of Thunder faced Civil War 2 and DC Universe Rebirth (yes, DC is in the game too), also dominating with tremendous sales for the longest time. Yet I stick with my original statement - both Thors are valid and shouldn't be put against one another regardless of profit. Because at the end of the day what will matter the most is the story. And boy, what a story it is.
Now, I haven't read the Thor: God of Thunder, but as I was doing research I found one very well written summary and explanation of Thor's arc and his becoming unworthy and I will post a link below, because I honestly feel I wouldn't be doing this comic a favor by describing it without having read it. Which I plan to do in the future, tbh. It's a fantastic prelude to the Mighty Thor (2015 - 2018) that I've come to love. First, I'd like to ask you all to stop hating on the comic without having read it first. It doesn't make any sense and being petty for the sake of being petty won't benefit neither you, nor anyone, really. Now, about the comic itself - the art is magnificent. It's just gorgeous. Mighty Thor isn't , thank all the gods, sexualized, she is pretty buffed and generally looks like a warrior. As it is with the other characters, I dare say. The background truly captures the essence of every world Jane finds herself on. Action scenes are just the right amount and balanced with dialogue well. On a side note, it's pretty funny to read/listen to in your head the Shakespearean English cursive in which Jane talks as Thor. The plot line branches beyond this comic, starting from Thor: God of Thunder and leading to the War of Realms. And it is elaborately built in every issue. You don't know what to expect, yet it makes sense when it happens. Which leads me to the characterizations. My God, what a treat Loki is in this. Clearly, my opinion is kinda biased, since he's my favorite character, but you never know which side he's on. What his motivations are. And it just feels so... Loki. His writing is brilliant. Almost makes me forget what the MCU did to him. Also, he gets some daddy time with Laufey (not as kinky as I make it sound). Frigga/Freyja is just as awesome as in the MCU, even more, at least in the comics she calls Odin out on his shit, who btw is I guess an asshole in every version and universe. Malekith, the main villain, is unbearably despicable, I want to tear every page he is on. He really was mishandled in the Dark World, if you want some true action with the dark elves, you are welcome to enjoy. I saved the best for the end - Jane Foster/ Might Thor. Now, if you think Dr. Foster spends her time boasting about her worthiness and how Odinson is just called Thor, but she is Mighty Thor, you are horribly wrong. She just... does her job. Because the hammer chose her. Because there's no one else to do so. That's it. If you think there's some feminism involved, yes, there sure is, but it certainly isn't the reason Jane became Thor in the first place. It was not the creators going SJW because it's trendy, as such a mindset is honestly offensive to any descent creator with any self respect, but a well thought out story arc, which, I repeat, you have to read the comic to understand. Jane is not at all whiny about the hate she gets in-universe, not only from foes like Odin and who-not, but from Shield and generally people whose asses she's saving. Her having cancer is not something they pulled to provoke sympathy and make her look like a victim - on the contrary, she is a damn hero and a victor. I don't want to give out spoilers, but her being Thor is actually a giant sacrifice that no one really appreciates (both in-universe and in the fandom). She is not Thor to prove she can be, or just to prove "women can be heroes" - she doesn't have to. She is simply needed by the realms and so she does her job, even though she is called a thief, persecuted and generally hated. All that matters is that the hammer finds her worthy - the beauty and simplicity of that fact you will find out, for the last time, if you read the comic.
I'm not making you read the comic or watch Thor: Love and Thunder. I myself don't know what to make of this film yet because there's barely any information about it. I only know it will be based on the comic so that's a reason for my hopes to be up already. On the other hand, since I didn't like Loki's characterization in Ragnarok, I'm not sure what to expect from Taika. There are valid reasons to not like the idea of Jane returning to the MCU as Thor, which you are entitled to. However, reasons such as "why does everything have to be political these days" are not. Because if I had to make a list of everything politically related in the MCU, it would take forever. Steve Rogers kills nazis is the most blatant example. Make of it what you want. But I think we're far enough into the 21st century to realize art and real life are not that separable. It's undeniable that art affects people and that is to say, people everywhere. And they all have different opinions and aren't gonna like everything media is offering to them. And I wish I could simply tell you not to watch the movie but I'm a Marvel fan too and I understand that I can't just take away Thor from you because I want Mighty Thor as well. But none of us can stop Marvel from producing it. So, to quote an image I saw recently, I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people. Let the rest of the fandom enjoy what they want to enjoy. Yes, ik I can play around with the tags and avoid posts that unnerve me but, for example, I'm looking up Mighty Thor fanart, which obviously isn't anti-Mighty Thor, yet I get attacked in the comics for anticipating a movie that doesn't even have a full cast yet. Ik I'm not asking for too much when I wish to get the same internet experience (not only tumblr, but also insta, YouTube, Twitter, any site) as the Thor Odison fans, for example. I'm aware I cannot stop all the toxic fans and the trolls but I hope this post has inspired those of you who simply can't envision Jane as Thor, or don't like Natalie Portman in the role, or whatever eles personal preference that doesn't involve political issues and isn't harmful to the community, not to attack every post on your dash with hate. The movie is called LOVE and Thunder, for God's sake. (on a side note, is a franchise that is too afraid to show LGBT characters for more than 1 minute so as to not lose profit from China, THAT politically correct)
Anyway, that was a veeeery long rant, sorry to whoever reads this but, like, please, I put effort into this, hoping this time around I won't be the only positive reviewer of a movie, like I was with Solo: a Star Wars story (yes, I'm still bitter about this), which was boycotted for no apparent reason but was a decent film in reality, and I'm only bringing it up because it has a similar experience to Love and Thunder for getting hate before even being released. I'm not defending a billion dollar company that flopped in box office once, I'm defending the viewer's right to media they are interested in. If you don't like the character, remember - that's your opinion, not a fact that the character sucks. Kudos.
Not very easy to navigate, I advice you to do the research month by month individually for comics you'd like to compare. Also, if you happen to find more reliable data, pls say so in the comments.
Here you have the summary and explanation of the greatness of Thor: God of Thunder, Jesus, I'll go bankrupt if I buy this one too.
youtube
Yes, I want to end the sales dispute once and for all, I'm tired of seeing it on my dash. This guy probably explains it better than I did.
@awesomejenlawrence you said you'd like to read this and I delivered
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this-iswhywefight · 7 years ago
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Plz disregard this if you are not accepting any more whump bingo prompts, but A3?? If not, plz accept my compliments. Love all of your works, they are so emotional and very well-written💓 and hope everything in your lives isn't too stressful!
(ok, so no lie, i have been waiting for this one. This is my kind of whump guys)A3: Touching clothing and their hand comes away bloody. 
Matt tugs off his helmet with a hiss, blinking the sting of blood from his eyes. His vision was already hazy, the blood certainly wasn’t making anything easier. “What is the point of wearing a helmet and getting nagged if I still get fucking head wounds?”“You do not get to complain if you take your helmet off as frequently as you do, sir.” Baerl glances at him over her injured shoulder. “You took it off while you were completing the manual override because, and I quote, sir, “Fucking fuck this fucking thing, are you fucking kidding me, fuck this”.” She’s almost smirking at him, too amused for how much pain he knows she’s in and how many laps they both know he’s gonna make her do in training after she’s patched up for the snark. Matt rolls his eyes. “There seems to be a sudden lapse in my memory.”
A soft chuckle from the pilot’s chair, the sound more of a raspy rumble, like most things from Hepabt are. “Must be the head wound,” he muses. “Shall I alert Commander Leilani, sir?”“Everyone’s a comedian,” Matt mutters, shaking his head. It would be unprofessional to flip off his team, right? Baerl barely covers a laugh with her hand and Matt feels like a little unprofessional-ism might be warranted. He restrains himself and sighs instead. “Don’t call them. It’s just a scratch, and we don’t need to bother Leilani with it.”“You should get it checked out, Commander,” Baerl sighs, rolling her shoulder with a wince. “Just to be safe. Head wounds–”“All this first aid knowledge and you sound like Rel. Those late night chats having an affect on you, hmm?” Matt teases, shifting in his seat until it hurts, little pinpricks of firey bits of pain sparking up all over. Her ears perk up and twitch and Matt starts to laugh so hard his head spins. “I don’t know what you mean, sir,” Baerl sniffs, going for prim and falling short. Matt snorts and shakes his head. “Sure. We’ll pretend that’s true.”If Galrans could blush she’d be pink (Purple? Could she get more purple?) to the tip of her ears. She’s saved from anymore teasing by Hepabt’s quiet announcement of their arrival back on base.Matt gets to his feet with a groan. God, everything fucking hurt. He can’t wait to shower off and fall into the arms of his kin for the night. That brings a small smile to his lips as he steps out of the pod. Leilani will fuss, but with the fussing came gentle hands and sweetness on his tongue, all to the tune of Kartok’s chuckles and the soft rasp of Zarra’s purrs. Martek is waiting for him, as per the norm, and towering at his side is Rel, with a small smile on his lips. Matt glances to Baerl at his side. “Still want to pretend?” he murmurs, nudging her gently. She doesn’t respond, but she doesn’t have to, not with the way the fur around her ears puffs up, just like Zarra’s does when she’s pleased. “Welcome back, Commander,” Martek says, drawing Matt’s attention. “You are bleeding sir.” Could he sound more politely displeased? Matt makes a mental note to really test that one day when he’s not so tired and sore. Matt waves it off, heading down the steps, helmet in hand. “It’s just a scratch, no big.”“How did you acquire this scratch, Commander?” Rel asks, voice measured, but eyes bright. “Should your helmet not have prevented this?”“Yes,” Martek answers before Matt can, and Leilani’s not around, but Matt can practically taste the bitterness in that single word. Matt rolls his eyes and moves past them.“You know what? I don’t want to hear it. It happened, I have a headache, Zarra’s gonna glare, Kartok’s gonna sigh and Leilani is gonna make everyone taste metal for the next two hours, so I really don’t want to hear anything from any of you.” He sets his helmet down on a console table, and fishes out his data drive from his belt. “Got it?”“Yes Commander,” Rel says, amused even as he dips his head with genuine respect. Baerl and Hepabt echo him, both of them engaged in stripping from their outer armor. Martek just sighs and paces closer to Matt, launching in to his usual post mission routine.“The Commanders are all engaged with tasks at the moment sir. Per your instruction, I did not disturb them when your estimated arrival shifted earlier. Would you have me contact them now?”Matt shakes his head, looking past Martek’s shoulder to watch Rel approach Baerl, reaching for her with such obvious and gentle care. “Nah, don’t bother them. I’m gross and I want a shower before Lani starts to fuss and I get trapped in the lounge or something for the foreseeable future.”“Yes, sir.” Martek nods, making a small note on his pad, and then holding out his hand. “Is the drive ready for analysis?”“Yeah.” Matt hands the drive over, and then stretches his arms up over his head, hoping to crack his back for some relief. He’s met instead with instant regret as pain rips through him and a groan startles past his lips. “Shit!”
“Are you alright?” Martek asks, eyes sharp with concern. “I’m fine.” Matt holds up a hand, closing his eyes, hand gripping tight to the edge of the console. He can feel the gazes of his Alphas from across the hangar, silent and sharp and vigilant. “Took a few rough hits getting out of there, that’s all. I’m just a little sore.”“Sir–”“Leave it.” It’s an order, but there’s no teeth behind it. Matt’s tired, he wants a shower, he wants his kin, and then a bed. To get any of that he needs to get out of the hangar and he’s sure as shit not gonna accomplish that if Martek starts in on motherhenning him over a few scrapes and bruises. “I’m gonna head out.”“Commander-”“Get the drive to Jion and some of the new coders. Let him run the breakdown, but double check the processing.” Matt pushes off the console and starts for the door. “He’s good at teaching, but he lets minor mistakes slip through in his work while he’s busy checking over theirs. But don’t tell him.”“Commander Holt-”Matt keeps going, talking and walking on his path. Get it all out now and then just get out. “It’ll just make him feel bad, and undermine how comfortable he’s gotten since you got back from Shi’or. I’d like to do anything to prevent that from–”“Matt!!” The snap of his first name rings through the air and stops him in his tracks. Martek never uses his first name anymore. Matt turns to face him slowly, the scrape of the metal soles of his feet the only thing to pierce the air. He expects to see annoyance or frustration on his second’s face, but instead finds… fear? What?Before he can ask what’s up, Martek steps closer to him pad and drive hugged tight against his chest. “You’re bleeding,’ he says, quickening his pace.Matt blinks. “…Didn’t we just do this? Coming out of the pod, we did this, right? Or did I hallucinate all that?” “Not your head.” Martek is at his side now, and he’s not looking at Matt, not looking up to meet his eyes, his gaze trained somewhere low on his torso. “Your side.”His side? What?” Matt follows Martek’s gaze and twists as gently as he can manage to try and get a hand over where Martek’s intense gaze rests. If there’s blood there, it’s gotta just be a stain… but it’s warm and sticky to the touch.He looks down and there’s a tear in his suit between two plates of the flexible body armor he wears, nothing big, barely more than a fingers width of space, and the black material is definitely wet. The spot doesn’t hurt, not anymore than the rest of his entire body, in fact, it’s almost numb to his touch.He pulls his hand away and stares down at the blood that’s now there. “Oh,” he breathes, new pain spreading through him, hot and fast, a sharp contrast to the icy haze that seems to trip down his spine, like someone threw cold water over his head. “Shit.”
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